BOOKS!

Finally. I keep telling you about the books I love, or want to read, or I'm reading. and I have a big note on my mac saying 'blog idea: book list' that's been there since april. But today- lets do this finally.

I kinda was re-inspired because colt showed me this site called stumbleupon. You put in interests and it gives you page after page of sites that meet those interests. I just started clicking around on it tonight- but one of the first few was this site- look at the 100 books. I counted 23 I've read. And they were mostly sooo good. There are at least ten in there that I planned on reading this summer but failed. I guess I just needed easy reads to let my brain relax. There are also so many that people have told me I needed to read.

Another website I found was Whichbook- I haven't had a chance to look around too much- but if you were in need of some ideas of what to read, it looks like a good place to start.

So here are my lists...

Books I read this summer:

• The Help
• Water for Elephants
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• half of Jane Eyre (still working on this one)
• The Hunger Game trilogy
• currently reading Spirit Junkie

For anyone that hasn't read the help- do it- and actually for once I will say the movie fulfilled my expectations. so no excuse not to read/watch this wonderful story. Water was a sort of fluffy love story- I read it mostly on my plane ride home from the UK- but I still enjoyed it. It's one of those that goes back in forth from past to present- which usually keeps things interesting. I have yet to see the movie- have you seen it- is it worth it? Mockingbird- classic. This has sat on my night stand for years. I have meant to read it since it was assigned in...grade 9? for summer reading. It is not life altering, but I am glad I took the time to read it. Jane Eyre- can't tell you yet but the more I read the more I get used to the old english and wrapped up in the story. Hunger Games- oh boy oh boy read read read! Connor was trying to convince me of this for the past few years- I was always in the middle of another book- but yeah he was so right. Warning: they are addictive and you should probably have all three on hand. They seem to have  become really popular this summer, and for good reason. Now Spirit Junkie- not my usual book- sorta self-helpish and little out there, but after reading an article about it in...vanity fair? elle?... I was intrigued. While in van I spent a little too long in Chapters hunting it down. Katy got the first book, and I got this with the idea that we will trade at christmas. Again- I'll let you know how it goes. 

Books I planned on read this summer (but didn't):

• 100 Years of Solitude
• Great Expectations
• Gone With the Wind
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Lolita
• The Scarlet Letter
• Emma

Now for some recommendations: 

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series
• The Handmaid's Tale
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
• The Time Traveller's Wife
• The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns
• One Day (I already wrote a post about this)
• The Gargoyle
• The Passage

...and so many more! 

I think I will sum this up now, but hope some of these spark your interest. And of course if you have other reading suggestions- pass them on! 

xo cmac